This invention relates to a steering unit for barges, and more particularly to a steering unit adapted to he attached to the front end of a string of barges on a waterway for directing or steering the barges along the waterway.
A string of barges or a barge tow normally consists of a plurality of barges connected end to end and pushed along a waterway by a tug boat. To aid in steering or directing the barge two along the waterway, a steering unit has been used heretofore connected to the front end of the barge tow and adapted to exert a lateral or side to side thrust for changing the course of direction of the barges in a minimum of time. Such steering units have been desirable for reducing groundings, collisions, and down time resulting from heavy winds or cross currents.
Also, it has been common heretofore to provide boats, such as catamarans with twin hull sections, or a hull having a longitudinally extending center cavity with a rudder mounted in the cavity for steering or guiding the boat. However, steering units for barges normally have not been provided with a hull having a longitudinally extending center cavity.